Apparatus for making nuts



G. Lnockwoon AND H. .6. CARLSON. APPARATUS FOR MAKING NUTS. APPLlATmN riLEp;An.29. un.

' Patented May 24, 1921.

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24, 1921. SHEET 2.

v G. l'. ROCKWQOD AND H. G. CARLSON.

APPARATUS FOR MAKING NUTS. l APPLICATION man 1AN.29.19H.

Patented May A s SHEETS TIRPATENT OFFICE. A.

GEORGE I. ROCKWOODv AND HJ' ALMAR G. GARLSOIT,y OF VVOQRGES'IER,rE MASSACHUSETTS;

. sATn CARLSONIASSIGNOR To RoCKwOoD SRRTNKLER COMPANY OEJYMASSACHU; SETTS,. OE WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OE MASSACHUSETTS.

APPARATUS EOR is/rAKnvcrivUTs.`

Application ledanuary 29, 1917. SerialNo. 145,124.

To all whom it may 00m/061m.'

Be it known that we, GEORGE I. ROOKWOOD yand HJALMAR Gr. CARLSON, citizens of the United States, both residing at Worcester,

in the County `of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Apparatus for Making Nuts, Ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an apparatus for making nuts, and the principal objects of the invention are to provide for making an internally screw-threaded body in such a manner as to avoid a complete-operation of screw-threading by means of a motionfof ro tation, and at the same time to avoid the necessity of handling the product and cen tering it between the formation of the Vblank and the screw threading thereof and to provide for forming thearticle and discharging it with a minimum number of operations. In this mannertheproduction of the article is greatly simplified, its costdecreased, and anf article produced that is equal to the best produced by the old method and materially better thanthe ordinary malleable cast iron articles ofy similar-.character now on 4the market. Y

These resultsare accomplished according to thisinvention by punching out a blank from sheet stock as has been done before, but adding the' step ofscrew threading it on the interior While it isv being shaped up into cup shape. AThis is done by the simple eX-v pedient offorming it over a screw-threaded plunger which imprintsscrew threads on the interior of thearticle during the operation ofv forming the cup-shape blank. "This leaves the article completely formed on the plunger and it remains only to unscrew it therefrom'so'that thel process of turning a tap into the nut or the nut blank on a tapl is entirely eliminated, and only the unscrewing operation retained; and furthermore this latter operation can be and preferably is performed `whilel theplunger is completing= its stroke, coming to rest and Starting back: so thatfthe articles can be formed substantially with-the'same rapidity as smooth surfaceda'rticl'es'of the same shape. 'The invention is designed to be appliedto nuts of any kindand is shown herein as applied to the'manufactureof a cap nut which can be converted into an ordinary nut if desired bycutting off theclose'dend.

F urther: objects and advantages lof thel inventionf'fwill appear hereinafter. `Reference is to be had to Vthefaccolnpar'ly lng drawings, in which-w i Figure 1 is a front elevation'ofanordinary punching `press with a lpreferred'enriloodiment of this -invention applied thereto .5 Fig. 2 is a side view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a'centraly sectional rviewon enlarged scale showing the `eonstim'ctiOnl of ythe plunger and certain connected parts;

Fig. t is asimilar view showing'the movable elements'descending'aridi just about tO Specification of Ilctters Patent. PatentdMy 19,21--

commence the Operation on ythesheet stock which is shown in position;

Fig.l 5 shows the parts-in the next "stage in ywhich .the blank has just beencut Out'iof the sheet metal;

Figo shows the-parts in the position in whichthe screw-threaded plunger has-de-4 scended and formed the blank up into -its final shape in the die; l

-Fig `7 shows Vthepartsin the position `in which the nut has just beenunscrewedil and is dropping out of themachine, the reci rocatmg partsV having just'comm'enced t'eir return motion, and 4 `v Fig. 8 is a plan of the die'shown in the othertigures.

The invention isshown' as applied to a doublel action unching 4press 4 of *a well known type wiich as usual comprises af frame 10 having a bed Orpl'atey 11 for-supporting a die. This Vpress as Vordinarily' made and asshown'herein involves aunain driving shaft 12 mounted-on theI frame" and Carrying-a pair of cams 13' whichfthrough connections lt operate a'cutting'die 15. Also on this shaft 12 is aneccentrio 17 which operatesa` slide 18having aidepression 19 in its lower end; for yreceiving 'theu'pperf end of a plunger'20. This plunger is providedwith a spring 21 engaging'under the head 22 thereof for normally forcing #the plungerI up as far as the slide'18 will permit, the' spring bearing "at its bottomfon theitop of the cuttingv die 15 which`itselfis reciprocated as stated.

vThis die 15 is ixedagainst turning inthe `i supports,"with which itis provided,fand'has a Screw 24 projecting into a `longitudinal groove in the plunger 20rto: lkeep that from turning. The bottom 'ofl the "plu`nger`2() is screwthreaded'at'25. The end of the plunger is shown separate and secured to the female die 32 inplace. VThis die is shaped` on the interior to take a sheet of metal forced down by the plunger and form it into acup shape,as indicated in Fig. 7. This die is supported below by a plate 33 also resting in the socket in the die holder 30, and having a passage therethrough of the same shape as the passage in the Vdie but slightly larger. l/Ve shall refer to this as a wrench member. Pins 34: extend from the die holder up through the member 33 and into the die 32 to prevent their turning with re- The passages in the spect to each other. die 32 and wrench member 33 are of course A made to register with each other.V

For the purpose of operating the die holder 30 the main shaft 12 is shown as provided; with a cam 36 which operates levers 37 and moves a clutch 38 once during each rotation of the shaft 12, and holds it in for a suiiicient portion of a revolution, as will be seen by reference to the shape of the cam 36. This clutch connects a shaft 39, which can be operated by a separate motor or from any desired source of power, with a shaft l0 on which one part of the clutch 38 slides. The shaft 4() by means of bevel gears l2 drives the die holder 30. One of the bevel gears 42 is mounted on the bottom of this die holder by means of a left-hand thread. This mechanism is driven to give a sufficient number of revolutions to the die holder 30 to unscrew the formed nut from the punch 25 and it then stops. It is always driven of course in the same direction.

The method of producing a nut according to this invention is as` follows z-heet stock A is placed on theplate 31and fed along by hand or otherwise as is usual in the case of punching machines of this type. The cutting-out die 15 comes down upon it and cuts out a circular blank an d presses it down into the top of the die `32, as shown in Fig. 5. This die 15 has a dwell at this point and while in that position the plunger 20 comes down th rough and presses the blank into the shaping portion of the die 32 and finally projects it below the bottom of the same into the wrench member 33. Fig. 6 shows the nut a just being forced into this position. From. the relative location of the eccentrics 17 and cam 36, shown in Fig. 2, it will be seen that at just this point the eccentric part of the cam 36 lowers the upper end of the lever 37 and forces the clutch member 38 to the right so as to start the shaft 40 and the die holder 30 into rotation. This rotation continues Vthroughout a part of the rotation of the shaft 12 and gives several complete turns to the die holder 30. `The result of this is that while the nut a is on the screw-threaded die 25 and, while the latter is completing its stroke, coming to rest, and starting back, the nut is engaged loosely by the member 33, the passage through lwhich is slightly larger than the nut, and it is unscrewed. On account of this passage being larger there is no danger of the nut lodginor in it, and yet it is positively turned by it. The nut then drops out and throughthe passage shown down through this die holder, and the eccentrics raise the slide 18, allowing the spring 21 to raise the plunger 20 and the die 25. This produces an article of manufacture which is completely finished for some purposes by its formation in the dies 25 and 32and simply has to be ground off on the outer edge for others. The product here isshownin the form of a cap nut, but it will be obvious that they can be punched out and removed with a rapidity heretofore unapproached. Furthermore, thereis no danger of the machine clogging, its speed can be run very high because there areno cutting tools that would be heated up at a high speed if the nuts were made in accordance with the ordinary methods; and the screw-threaded die 25, having no cutting edges, need not be resharpened or frequently replaced, thus affording a material economy over the use of a tap. It will be seen also that the raising of this plunger by means ofa spring instead of by the positive eccentric is a feature of importance because in that way there is no danger of its tearing through the threads of a product made upon it. The timing of the unscrewing mechanism is provided for in a simple and absolutely accurate manner by this mechanism.

Although we have illustrated and described the production of an article of a definite form and the application of the mechanism to a press ofwell-known construction, and shown onlyV one form of the invention, we are aware of the fact that all these can be changed within wide limits without departing from the scope of this invention as eX- pressed in the claims. Therefore we do not wish to be limited to the construction of the particular article shown, the application of vthe invention to the particular press illusbination of a plunger having non-cutting screw threads thereon, a single female drawing die coperating therewith and located in position for the plunger to force the blank into it, said female die having die surfaces for forcing the metal of the blank into the screw thread on the plunger to produce a nut, and means for unscrewing the nut while the plunger is completing its stroke, coming to rest, and starting back.

2. In a machine for making nuts, the combination of a die, a screw threaded plunger movable into the die, to form an internally screw threaded article, and a wrench member for rotating the article with the die to unscrew it from the plunger, said wrench member having a non-circular passage therethrough for receiving the article, causing it to turn with it, and to be discharged through it.

3. In a machine for making nuts, the combination of a plunger having a continuous screw thread thereon and adapted to 'be forced into a blank to form an imprint of said screw thread on the interior thereof, a rotary die holder, and a wrench member located with the die in said die holder, rotatable therewith, and having a passage therethrough through which the article from the die can ass freely but of a shape to cause the article to turn with it.

4. In a machine for making nuts, the combination of a non-rotatable plunger having a non-cutting screw thread thereon, a female die coperating therewith and located in position for the plunger to force a blank into it, said female die having die surfaces for forcing the metal of the blank around and into the screw thread on the plunger, a rotary die holder having a socket in which said die is located, and a wrench member also located in said socket and in axial alinement with the die, and having a passage therethrough of substantially the same shape as the passage through the die, and pins seated in the die holder and pass ing through the wrench member and into the die to keep the die and wrenchmember in registration and cause them to rotate with the die holder. d

5. In a machine for making nuts, the combination of a plunger having anon-cutting screw thread thereon, a female die coperating therewith and located in position for the plunger to force a blank into it, said female die having die surfaces for forcing the metal of the blank around and into the screw thread on the plunger, a rotary die holder having a socket in which said die is located, a wrench member also located in said socket and in axial alinement with the die, and having a passage therethrough of substantially the same shape as the passage through the die, means for keeping the die and wrench member in registration and causing them to rotate with the die holder, and means for rotating said die holder a plurality of times while the punch is substantially in its lowermost position.

6. In a machine for making nuts, the combination of a plunger having a non-cutting screw thread thereon and adapted to be forced into a blank to form an imprint of said screw thread on the interior thereof, a rotary die member located adjacent thereto, and having a passage therethrough through which the article can pass freely, but of a shape to cause the article to turn with it, means for operating said plunger, and means for causing said die member to rotate and unscrew the nut from the plunger and discharge it through the die mem- 7. In a machine for making nuts, the combination of a reciprocatory slide, a reciprocatory member having a cutting-out punch thereon, a screw-threaded noncutting plunger movable through the cutting-out punch, means for preventing said plunger from turning, a die for receiving the Plunger, and means for rotating an article formed between the plunger and die to remove it from the plunger through the die.

8. In a machine for making nuts, the combination of a reciprocatory slide, a reciprocatory member having a cutting-out punch thereon, a screw-threaded plunger movable through the cutting-out punch, and a spring for drawing said plunger back into the punch, the slide being located and arranged to control and limit the movement of sai plunger.

9. In a machine for making nuts, the combination of a reciprocatory slide, a reciprocatory member having a cutting-out punch thereon, a screw-threaded plunger movable through the cutting-out punch, a spring for drawing said plunger back into the punch, the slide being located and arranged to control and limit the movements of said plunger, means for preventing said plunger from turning, a die for receiving the plunger, and means for rotating an article formed between the plunger and die to remove it from the plunger.

In testimony whereof` we have hereunto affixed our signatures.

GEORGE I. ROCKWOOD. HJALMAR G. CARLSON. 

